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Posts tagged ‘Marianne de Pierres’

Ixion, the land of ever-night, the place of youth and parties. Ixion, feeding zone for Ripers and Night Creatures and a war zone for the rebels led by Dark Eve and Clash.

Naif has to go back. She doesn’t want to, there are so many bad memories. She knows so much more now, she knows the risks. She has to go back for her friends and her brother. There are still secrets on Ixion that she needs to uncover – including finding out if there is a way to cure the effects of the badges worn by everyone and that are slowly killing them.

All of which is complicated by her bond to Lenoir – her greatest love and a mortal enemy – A Riper.

This is the final book in the Night Creatures trilogy.

Naif has come a long way from the quiet, scared, timid Seal from the beginning. She has grown in strength in leaps and bounds. She is becoming a leader, different to her brother and Dark Eve but a leader non the less. She sees beyond, to the big picture and knows changes need to be made, more than Dark Eve and Clash think and more than Lenoir thinks. The story is layered, engaging and has some surprising moments which are always a treat. Naif is a character who grows on you even as she grows. So many females are strong in this and I shouldn’t have to mention that but I still feel compelled to and I guess that is a little sad, but I’m going to mention it because they are and that still makes them a bit of an anomaly.

The cast is colourful and varied with their own strengths and weaknesses, but really this is Naif’s story and the others complement it so well. De Pierres has woven a darkly intriguing story that has gone from strength to strength. This is a fitting conclusion to this trilogy. I loved it and wanted to go with Naif all the way.

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Welcome to the Shine Light blog tour. At each stop we’ll be revealing something new about the characters in Shine Light. What makes them tick? Do they have any secrets? Read on to find out . . .

Joel/Clash

Blog stop 8

Joel/Clash is the catalyst for Retra/Naif’s journey. At the beginning of the series she worships him without question or criticism. He’s all the things she’s frightened to be; extraverted, bold and uncompromising. He’s also her only friend in the world.

However, it’s not until Naif finally reconnects with him on Grave that she begins to get to know her brother as a real person – not a construct of her rose-coloured memory. Though not always liking what she sees, Naif cannot help but continue to admire him. Like Suki, he is a warrior who is personally motivated by a deep-rooted belief in individual freedom.

The only insight we get into Joel/Clash’s personality, other than Naif’s point of view, is through his relationships with Dark Eve and Charlonge. There is also no doubt he is revered by the Young Ones on Ixion as being handsome and brave, and in the time he’s spent on the island he’s developed into a strong, decisive fighter. But Charlonge thinks Dark Eve has corrupted his more reasonable side. She is right!

Joel/Clash loves Charlonge but his admiration for Dark Eve is profound. He’s never met anyone as committed to the idea of personal freedom as Eve is and it’s a bond that ties them together. Though he doesn’t love her in the way he loves Charlonge, she is a powerful influence upon him. At this stage in his life Joel/Clash gives priority to his principles and beliefs above his personal relationships. He is not ready for Charlonge emotionally; he is too caught up in the fight.

He does learn though, that his little sister is more than merely a sibling to be protected. It’s the first step in his journey of self-discovery. And the struggle for his affections between Eve and Charlonge continues on for a long while after the SHINE LIGHT is finished.

Break each code at the end of every blog post on the tour and your name will go in the draw to win a**super mystery prize** basket. Email your answers to marianne@mariannedepierres.com.

‘Yes. I searched in all the churches when I arrived but they had only stories like the ones I’d read at home. I thought, perhaps, that I’d come to Ixion for no reason. Then one day Brand came to Vank and locked herself in the gallery. She visited several more times, many days apart, always locking the door. When she left the first time, I scoured every nook of the gallery until I found them. Someone, perhaps one of the monks, had hidden Ixion’s history in the walls.’

‘Maybe they thought to preserve it?’

She looked thoughtful. ‘I expect when the Ripers came they had to flee. Perhaps they couldn’t take their books with them.’

‘I could get them for you. But I have no badge,’ said Jarrold. ‘What if they want to see it?’

Ruzalia stood. ‘They’re not watching the churches as much. The split between Lenoir and Brand means they’re disorganised. If you’re careful, you’ll be able to avoid them.’

‘Liam and I will fi nd Clash and Eve,’ said Naif, ‘to see if they know about the uther queen. You can bring the books to us there.’

‘They will be heavy. I doubt we can carry them far alone.’

‘The Grotto is close to Vank. Let’s meet there. We’ll bring help.’

Ruzalia spoke next. ‘And I will travel to Port of Patience to visit my merchant. We have much to talk about, he and I. When I return we must act, one way or another.’

The coldness in her voice made Naif flinch. She did not envy the merchant. The trip to Port of Patience would take a full day and night, which meant Ruzalia would be gone for two days at least. Naif hoped that would be enough time to fi nd out what they needed.

The pirate added, ‘I’ll set you down on the Lesser Paths near Vank. There is less chance the Ripers will see the ship there.’

I am really looking forward to this book and am thrilled to be part of the blog tour which will give insight into hopefully your favourite characters. The tour will be here on November the 8th but starts here. From there just follow the links.

Enjoy the darkness and the journey.

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Okay the thing is I am a fan girl, actors/authors/characters, and I love it. I am totally unashamed of this part of my personality. A great thing about being me is I know plenty of others who indulge in geekdom and fandom as well. I was not alone this weekend, in fact SuperNova Perth had it’s biggest weekend there ever. It was huge and so much fun.

Why am I posting this you may wonder? Well because the sci-fi/fantasy fans are the best. We are avid and passionate. For many of us it starts at a young age, books/comics we love it and we devour it.

This weekend I saw cartoon characters, movie characters, comic book characters, tv show characters, game characters and book characters. Now is the time I will point out that a great many of these characters come from written word formats in one way or another. If you have kids who are avid readers and you want something to challenge them but will not have inappropriate themes, then often fantasy is a good place to go (not George RR Martin though). If you have reluctant readers give them a comic book. Reading is reading, and that is a good thing, and conventions are a great place to realise just how great it can be to escape for just a little while.

I have friends who dressed up as manga characters (they cosplay regularly). They were a huge hit over the weekend and spent much time being photographed by complete strangers. [Manga is something that can be read not just watched – for those of you out of the loop.]

A convention is also a great place to meet authors and get your favourite book/s signed and even find some new authors to try.

I thought we could look at things in genre fiction that we can relate to in normal life. Using this as a starting point I think there are several things we can look at.

The first of these things is family. The rigid structure imposed by Retra’s parents, or predominantly her father, is not something I have experience with and I have to say I’m glad. Having said that there are many who have. I can understand why being in a situation like that would seem unappealing and why with very little extra provocation, you would be willing to leave that behind. The other family aspect that is there, is Retra’s relationship with her brother. She was close to him before he left and now, with what appears to be nothing left to lose, Retra is more than willing to search him out on Ixion.

So the question is then, would you follow a sibling to a party island? For me the answer would be more to do with what I was escaping rather than what I was going to. Which really is what Retra did. If she was happier in her home life she would never have run away. In that way my motivation would be similar to Retra’s I have never really had a desire to live in a world of perpetual parties and no rules.

Which leads us neatly to another of the predominant themes in Burn Bright is – doing whatever you want. Party hard baby bats.

It sounds really good, on the surface. No rules, no one to say no, no one to say don’t take that. Thing is a situation like that usually comes under the umbrella of ‘if it looks too good then it probably is’. Most of the baby bats embrace the Ixion lifestyle. They are swept up into hedonistic living. Do what I want when I want. Even so there are rules right from the beginning. Don’t go off the paths, make sure you get your rest at the right time and take the pills. They sound like some fairly restrictive rules to me. For these baby bats they are so swept up with the surface permissiveness that they fail to see what is right under their noses, just a little further under the surface.

I think this is indicative of how some people want to live their lives. Party, party, party, with no thought to the consequences. You just need to look around you to see that that very rarely ends well. In this way then life and art are mirror images of each other.

De Pierres has given us a world that appears fairly unique yet if you look a little under the surface then you see there are many mirrors to the world around us. With a book like this you can take it two ways. As purely an escapist piece of reading, and it fits that bill very well. I really enjoyed this book and it’s sequel. The other way is to scrape away the top and look at the mirrors and see what they have to say about the society in which you live. Being as this isn’t a lit class then I’d have to say I’ve probably done enough of that.

Think what you will but me, I will continue to be cautious of those things that offer answers to so many desires. Party hard baby bats but be aware!

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December brings a change of books for the book club and the first new one I am putting forward is

Book: Burn Bright

Series: The Night Creatures

Author: Marianne de Pierres.

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Synopsis

Retra is a Seal – that is she is from the sealed community, a community cut off from those outside it. She is marked as an outcast, a behaviour strip to control some of her actions has been attached to her body. Despite the pain of her actions she is determined to escape. Unlike her brother, Joel, she doesn’t really want to go to Ixion, she has no real desire to party and seek pleasure like the rest of those who choose to go. Ruzalia, is a priate who raids the boats, pulling certain people off them, no-one seems to know why, so getting to Ixion is the first challenge.

For Retra to survive on Ixion she has to put aside all she has ever learnt and find a way to blend in. She needs to start having fun. If she can’t do this she will be withdrawn early and no-one can say exactly what that means. Except perhaps the Ripers, who are the Guardians of Ixion but are they really looking out for everyone or is something much darker going on. Retra doesn’t want to get caught up in the machinations going on under the pretty surface, she just wants to find Joel, if he is still alive. The problem is the dark secrets she stumbles upon mean Retra has some decisions to make. Even if she wanted to stay uninvolved she can’t, she knows too much.

My Initial Thoughts

This is an intricately and darkly woven dance. The layers are well blended, the story compelling. You move silently with Retra as she discovers herself, her strength, and the secrets most seem unwilling to uncover. As she grows from Retra to Naife you know you you have to keep reading to find out what happens next. Retra is accompanied by an eclectic mix of characters that blend well to create the diverse micro-culture that is Ixion.

Did I Like It?

Yes, is the easy answer. I really liked the way the surface and underlying worlds of Ixion played against each other. It’s dark in it’s tone rather than relying on paranormal creatures to make it that way. Don’t get me wrong the creatures add to the tone, they just aren’t the focus. I found the world De Pierres has created to be one that draws you in completely. You get swept up into the hedonism of the moment, the goal of the Baby Bats, even while sensing, through Retra, that things are not quite what they seem. It needs to be added though, the events that pan out don’t seem obvious which is part of the reason you stay drawn in.

The theme in this that really intrigued me is the one of how something can appear one way on the surface, or to one group of people and yet to others something entirely different is going on. This will probably be something I touch on in a later post.

So be brave baby bat and step out into the night. Tell me how it goes for you.

The Rest of the Series

This is the first and the second, Angel Arias was released in the second half of this year. I will try to keep spoilers out or at least give you spoiler alerts in later posts.

Retra now goes by the name Naif and has escaped Ixion but her life will never be the same. Bonded to Lenoir she often finds him in her thoughts and while this takes some getting used to, this is not her biggest problem. She knows Rippers have been seen on Grave and she is determined to go home and find out what connects the two, apparently opposed, lands.

Naif hopes to convince Ruzalia to help her, no easy task as the pirate is focussed on her own agenda. As if things weren’t complicated enough, not everyone Ruzalia saves is grateful and soon there is a revolt and Naif and her friends are caught right in the middle.

Naif will need every ounce of courage and strength she has if she is to get to the bottom of what is really going. Also she must survive – for herself, for Lenoir and for her friends, those on and off Ixion. She must tell others what is really going on.

Naif has grown. She hasn’t become as strong and forceful as Ruzalia or Suki but she is growing more comfortable in her own decisions and actions. She stands again and again for what she thinks is right and when she’s been knocked over she gets back up. (This is a trait I love in female characters – that and not having everything revolve around getting a boy to love her.) Naif may not be the strongest or the smartest but she is certainly determined and loyal, traits worth admiring.

The story is dark, taut and well woven. We are swept into this tale, it grabs us and refuses to let us go. I enjoyed Burn Bright, enough that I looked forward to the release of Angel Arias, the sequel though, drew me in more effectively and completely than I had expected.

De Pierres has returned us to a complex world with much going on beneath the surface. It is a world and story that is thoroughly engrossing even if some of the details are more than a little disturbing – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Angel Arias is a compelling read that plays with the truth that the dark places can be appealing. De Pierres storytelling sucks us in and throws us out the other side with an attitude that says ‘Be careful what you wish for Baby Bat, you may not like it when you get it’.

I am really looking forward to book three.

Publisher: Random House Australia

Published: 3rd October 2011

Format: Paperback 270 pages

Categories: Fantasy,

ISBN 13: 9781742751016

Purchase: use Booktopia logo on side of page

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A story is a powerful thing. Once we step inside there are worlds to discover, treasures to find, mysteries to solve, adventures to be had and friends to meet. You can learn, laugh, cry, be amazed and be swept away. Come on a journey with me as I welcome you to
TheKylieVerse